Jerry is hosting a pledge drive for a local PBS station. His grandmother calls in to talk to him about some checks she's written him that bounced. Kramer receives her call, and asks, "You listen to the station, don't you? Don't be a freeloader!" He then announces that Jerry's grandmother, who is on a fixed income, has donated $1,500 to the station. Broadcast television is a pure public good—nonrival, nonexcludable, and with no commercials to fund its programs, relies on voluntary contributions to survive. No wonder it's always on the verge of collapse!
Harold, a tax auditor, visits Miss Pascal at her store to audit her because she paid only 78% of her taxes for the year. She gives him a hard time and states that she intentionally did not pay taxes for spending that she does not support. Miss Pascal mentions some ways that the government spends taxes.
Charlie's father gets laid off from his job because a new robot at the toothpaste factory can perform his job more cheaply and efficiently. His job has been made obsolete by technology.